There’s a little restaurant in a small Alabama town where there’s no cash register and no prices, just a whole lot of soul… and soul food.
At Drexell & Honeybee’s in downtown Brewton near the Florida border, the menu changes daily, but there’s always a hearty selection of Southern dishes to enjoy: fried chicken, cornbread, and collared greens often show up at lunchtime from Tuesday to Thursday.
What makes this place special? Unending Southern hospitality. No matter how down on their luck a person is, they never have to worry about having no money for their lunch.
Once you’ve finished your dessert—a blueberry cobbler, perhaps?—you just leave whatever you can in a private booth near the restaurant entrance, even if that’s just a handful of coins or a little thank-you note.
The owners, a husband and wife team—Freddie and Lisa Thomas-McMillan—make no profit from their restaurant. 100% of the donations go back into serving people food. So what do they get from all this? Joy.
They say there’s a real joy to knowing that their customers leave “with a full stomach, a full heart, and the understanding that you are loved and worthy of love.”
Lisa’s always had a big heart. Through the years, she’s run a food bank. She’s opened her home to the needy. She says it may have started in second grade when she learned a powerful lesson about sharing from a little girl who always had a better sandwich, but shared it happily with Lisa in a daily trade for some of her peanut butter and jelly.
“‘Feed the Need’ is our mission statement,” Lisa told GNN, “Whatever needs people have, if we can help them… we will.”
Of course, the pandemic has made running a restaurant a little more tricky in recent months. But this hasn’t stopped this generous Alabama family from doing what they love.
“The end of June we figured out a way to do to-go orders and keep everyone safe…It is working out very well and we feel so proud to be able to do what we do, with COVID-19 affecting so many people.”
“When my husband and I opened, we agreed to put a portion of our retirement back into the running of the restaurant… as you can imagine donations are down, but we will continue to try and be of service to all the people that come to our door.”
Watch the beautiful video below—and if you’d like to share a little love to Drexell & Honeybee’s, just head here.
DELIVER This Soul Food To Friends Who Hunger For Good News On Social Media…
I want to do something like this when I grow up. I love cooking, and to do good with it is my dream!
God Bless you. Quick story…I’ ‘m from N.Y. and back in 1972 I joined V.I.S.T.A.(Volunteers In Service To America), and was sent to work in Burgaw, North Carolina. I’m a 22 white person from the North and this was a time when the Black Panthers were very active protesting!! I worked with 100% Black women starting/helping a day-care center in Burgaw. Long story short to this day 50 years later, I think of my pals, Jasie and Mary(lived there & volunteered), and hope they are safe. I just wanted to tell you when I returned up North I tell anyone I know that the HAPPIEST people I ever met were my Black friends I worked with down there…God-given love for life in all situations. You three are a perfect example of what I mean!! Peace, prayer, and love.
Joe B.
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